A Sweet Story of an Unusual Friendship Between a Cat and a Rat

We are all too familiar with the classic interaction between predator and prey. A joyful exception, such as the relationship between Perseya, the cat, and Filya, the rat, can occasionally be found in life to surprise us.

On TikTok, Irina Kamenskaya documents the couple’s everyday antics, including how they play, kiss, and groom one another. They have over 142K followers thanks to their particular affinity, and Bored Panda even contacted Irina to learn more about their relationship.

More info: Instagram | tiktok.com

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Perseya was raised to chase mice and was descended from a cat that caught rats. Irina adopted her despite her origins and let her live with her pet rats. Yet when Perseya was initially brought home, Barsa, another cat, did not take well to her presence. Kuzya adopted Perseya, the brightest rat Irina had ever met, and the two became inseparable friends. Kuzya sadly passed away a month later.

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Nevertheless, Irina’s family was destined for even more unusual alliances. Perseya accepted Filya, a one-month-old rat, as her own right away when she took him home. The two would frequently pursue one other with teaser toys, especially fish toys because Filya was fearless and enjoyed playing with Perseya’s toys.

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@barsakuzya

2023-01-02-093946251

♬ оригинальный звук – Ирина – Ирина

Irina once neglected to shut Filya’s cage, so he spent the entire day interacting with the cats—playing with them, feeding them, and even drinking from their water bowls. Irina arrived home to see Filya frolicking and the cats relaxing on the beds.

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Now that Filya is six months old, she depends on Perseya for survival. He rushes over to her every night and begins kissing her. The other two rats are satisfied to remain within their cage, whereas Filya is a very loving rat. Barsa still needs to be more interested in Filya. Filya has just started giving Perseya-loving nips, and the two of them snuggle as he buries himself in her fur and occasionally even gets her to purr.

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@barsakuzya

2023-01-02-093946251

♬ оригинальный звук – Ирина – Ирина

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@barsakuzya

2023-01-02-093946251

♬ оригинальный звук – Ирина – Ирина

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This touching story of an odd bond between a cat and a rat demonstrates that true camaraderie can cross boundaries and transcend species.